Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Wall Street Journal Guide To Information Graphics
The Wall Street Journal Guide To Information Graphics
CHAPTER 1
The Basics
Numbers Data integrity Data richness Fonts legibility Typography in charts Color basics Color palettes Color in charts Color chart templates Coloring for the color blind Color scale application
CHAPTER 2
Chart Smart
Lines Vertical bars Horizontal bars Pies Tables Pictograms Maps
CHAPTER 3
Ready Reference
Do the Math Mean, median, mode Standard deviation Average vs. weighted average Moving average Logarithmic scale Comparable scales Percentage change Re-indexing to 100 or 0
Percentages Expressing percentages Absolute values vs. percentage changes Percent of a percentage Dont average percentages Copy Style in Charts Words Numerals Money Stock indexes Currencies
CHAPTER 4
Tricky Situations
Missing data Big numbers, small change Comparable scales Coloring with black ink
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
Pies
Slicing and dicing
Pie charts should not be used to illustrate complicated relationships among many segments. It is easier to compare two vertical bars than two slices in a pie.
Chapter 2
CHART SMART
The only exception to the ordering is when all the slices are close in value. In this case, start at 12 oclock on the right and go clockwise from largest to smallest.
15% 35% 20% 30%
largest segment
Reading a pie chart is like reading a clock. Its intuitive to start at 12 oclock and go clockwise. Therefore, it is most effective to place the largest segment at 12 oclock on the right to emphasize its importance. The best way to order the rest of the segments is to place the second biggest slice at 12 oclock on the left; the rest would follow counterclockwise. The smallest slice will fall near the bottom of the chart, in the least significant position.
Just like in bar and line charts, direct labeling helps the reader to quickly identify individual segments and focus on the comparison between them.
Horizontal Bars
Ordering and regrouping
Just as in a vertical bar chart, do not use different shades or 3-D rendering in a horizontal bar chart. Similar to a vertical multiple-bar chart, a horizontal multiple-bar chart should be kept to four or fewer categories. The shading of the bars should be assigned from lightest to darkest so the reader can easily compare and contrast the data.
No random lineup
Dont plot horizontal bars in a random order. The main quality of a horizontal bar chart is the ranking of items by the same attribute. Plotting the bars in an arbitrary sequence defeats the purpose.
Chapter 2
CHART SMART
When plotting horizontal bars over time, the bars should be ordered from the most recent data point and going back in time.
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
The exception to the rule of ranking by value is when a specific order, such as alphabetical order, is necessary to facilitate easier reading. An example would be plotting a chart with 50 states.
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware . . . Wyoming
For a long list of horizontal bars, label the data points flush right and use thin rules to separate the bars in groups of three to five to help the readers read across.
A B C D E F G H I J K L 12.1 11.1 10.1 9.1 8.1 7.1 6.1 5.1 4.1 3.1 2.1 1.1
Fonts
Typography in charts
In charts, typography should not be center stage. The data is the focus. Type in charts is there to describe the chart clearly and not to evoke an emotion, as in a fashion magazine or political poster. Poor typography draws undue attention away from the underlying data, which carries the main message. The impulse to use type styles to spice up the chart should be avoided at all costs. Typography done right helps present the information in the most efficient and direct way. Dont permit typography to oppress the underlying data. Keep the typography simple. The headline can be either bold or a couple of sizes larger. Headline of the chart
A brief description that outlines what the data shows
8 6 4 2 0
A B C To wn To wn To wn To wn D
Dont
Do
Dont use all caps or knock white type out of black. Dont use bold italic. Dont use bold for the numbers on the scale.
Chapter 1
BASICS
Dont
Dont use highly stylized fonts or turn the type sideways to save space.
Do
Serif and sanserif fonts can complement each other and add variety, and are still highly legible.
Title of x-axis
Title of x-axis
Dont
Do
Label A
Label A
Dont
Dont set a huge amount of text in bold. Emphasizing everything means nothing gets emphasized.
Name Company A Company B Company C Company D Data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Do
Use bold type to emphasize the focal point of the message. Be judicious.
Name Company A Company B Company C Company D Data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Your Investments
Get rich quick?
What you see may not be what you get. In many investors reports, the returns shown are the arithmetic rate of return. In reality, over the long run investors are getting the compounded (geometric) rate of return. Example A hot fund gained 100% last year. The following year, an investor puts his money into the fund but the fund loses 50%. The investment report publicizes a 25% gain, based on a two-year average. However, the investor loses half his money.
Year 0 1 2 3 4
Arithmetic return = Average of annual rates of return = (+50% 50% + 20% 20%) /4 = 0% Geometic return = Annualized appreciation over four years =
4
72 1 = 7.9 % 100
This means stock A loses 7.9% per year. How the math works:
Year 0 1 2 3 4 Annualized rate 7.9% 7.9% 7.9% 7.9% Stock value $100 92 85 78 72
Chapter 6
K N O W Y O U R S E L F, K N O W Y O U R N U M B E R S
If our funds are compounded at the average annual rate of return, we will all be rich in no time.
Example
For the quants: The difference between arithmetic return and geometric return is due to the dispersion of annual returns.
Geometric return = Arithmetic Adjustment return factor where adjustment factor
Myth It would be a mistake to believe your funds are compounding at 20% a year: $10,000 x (1 + 0.2)4 = $20,736 Reality Your funds compound at 4.7%. Based on the geometric return, the account will be worth only $12,000. Compounding the arithmetic return grossly overstates the growth by more than $8,000.
$30,000 $24,000 20,000 10,000 $8,000 0 Year 0 1 2 3 4 $12,000
Myth
Compounded at average rate: $20,736
Reality
Accumulated value: $12,000
What does it mean for you? For a short-term investment horizon with deposits and withdrawals during the period, the arithmetic return is sufficient. For a long-term investment horizon when returns are compounded, the geometric return is more meaningful.